


and suddenly, we were strangers

by wavverlyearp



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, F/F, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, if idw ain't gonna do it I will
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 09:14:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18246842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wavverlyearp/pseuds/wavverlyearp
Summary: It had been five months and three days since Wynonna had lost her hope, Nicole her light, Jeremy his friend and Doc his angel. Those five months had led to this moment, but as Waverly started at them with a blank expression on her face and fear in her eyes, the group realised that their worst nightmare had just become their reality.or the one where Waverly comes back from the garden with no idea where she is and who her friends are, and slowly but surely she falls in love with Nicole once more.





	and suddenly, we were strangers

**Author's Note:**

> IDW really screwing us all over so I'm taking Wynonna Earp season four into my own hands lgbts let's go!
> 
> I'm kidding, but on a serious note, I haven't written anything in months because life and my mental health got the better of me, but after EFA (@EFA_Podcast on twitter if you have no idea what I'm on about) did their podcast on the social media au's including mine, my motivation slapped me in the face and I'm back to writing, so you can thank them for this fic. 
> 
> Just some heads up, the Earp curse isn't broken at the start of this fic and I'm ignoring the Valdez plot because why not. So this will be focused on Nicole and Waverly, switching POV between the two of them, with Earp curse stuff running in the background. I will be updating on Tuesdays (the plan is weekly but if not then deffo every two weeks) and hopefully this fit will get me back into writing.
> 
> Now that is out of the way, please enjoy this first chapter <3

Nicole had promised herself that once they got Waverly back from the garden that she’d never let her go, never again.

 

She had promised herself that she would hold Waverly close every night, that she would tell the brunette how much she loved her every day, how amazing she looked every morning and how Waverly Earp was the best thing that had ever happened to her every night. Nicole knew that without Waverly she was in the dark. Waverly was her light and she had lost her, and if she ever got her light back, then she would never let her go.

 

After five months and three days of searching, fighting, of reckless decisions and too many nights drinking away the pain, they got her back. After months of fetching Wynonna from Shorty’s as the older Earp lost her hope, picking the team up when they fell apart, making sure that they kept looking for their angel until they found her. They did. They found their angel, Wynona found her hope, Jeremy found his friend, Nicole her light and Doc his family.

 

Those five months had all lead to this moment, to the small broken angel sat at the bottom of the now destroyed staircase, with wings disappearing alongside the steps, drifting into nothing but a long forgotten dream.

 

Every day of fighting had been worth it for the look on Wynonna’s face as she saw her baby sister, for the tear rolling down Doc’s face, for the friend that Jeremy had lost and the piece of Nicole that had been ripped from her was now sitting right in front of her.

 

But it wasn’t long before that look disappeared from Wynonna’s face, that the tear rolling down Doc’s face changed meaning, as Jeremy realised he hadn’t found his friend and Nicole felt her heart break all over again.

 

The brunette was sat, still, her eyes darting across the faces stood before her, staring at the family she no longer recognised.

 

“Waverly?” Wynonna said, her voice cracking as she took a step forward, towards where Waverly sat, the brunette visibly flinching, shuffling herself away from the older Earp’s step.

 

Nicole’s mind was racing a million miles per second. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. How could she hold Waverly in her arms, tell Waverly she loved her, keep her safe and never let her go if the woman that she loved was looking at her like she as if she were a stranger.

 

“Miss Earp,” Doc said slowly, crouching down to get on Waverly’s eye level, “Do you know where you are?” He asked, slowly, his words careful.

 

The brunette shook her head slowly, her eyes filled with a panic that made Nicole’s heart clench.

 

“Do you know who we are?” Doc asked, everyone choosing to ignore the break in his voice as he asked what they all already knew.

 

Waverly took a second, her eyes scanning the faces around her, hazel eyes focusing on Nicole for a second too long, but the brunette looked back towards Doc before slowly shaking her head once more.

 

She had no idea who they were, where she was, what was happening. She didn’t know how long she had been gone, how hard they had been fighting to get her back, she knew nothing but her name and the place she had been for those five months.

 

“That’s okay,” Doc said with a small smile that contradicted the tears now pouring down his face. Doc had taken over the situation at hand, Wynonna had turned around, not able to look at the woman who had once been her sister but was now a shell of the woman she knew. Jeremy stood looking at the ground, as if he was trying to process this, process where they went wrong. Nicole was frozen still, her eyes fixed on Waverly, on the love of her life. The love of her life who now had no idea of who she was.

 

“Do you know who you are?” Doc asked, Waverly nodding in response. ‘Okay good.” Doc said, sighing at that, at the small piece of hope that she was still in there, somewhere.

 

“What the fuck are we supposed to do now?” Wynonna’s voice cut through the hushed woods like a knife, her words sharp.

 

“Wynonna,” Doc warned, standing up and making his way over to Wynonna, walking the group back out of Waverly’s earshot, “please, don’t do this.”

 

“Do what? Freak the fuck out? My sister has no idea who the hell I am Doc, my goddamn sister doesn’t know who I am.” Wynonna’s voice started loud, her aggression bouncing off the trees around them, but her voice quickly trailed out as the reality hit her. They had spent the last five months searching, hunting for an answer, for a way to get Waverly back, but they had never prepared for this, for when she got back. None of them had ever said out loud what they feared most. No one had questioned that she wouldn’t come back the same, their Waverly, because it was too much. Losing Waverly was hard enough, but getting her back only to lose her again, it was something they hadn’t dared to dwell on.

 

“She’s in there Wynonna.” Doc whispered, bringing his hands up to Wynonna’s face, forcing the brunette to look at him, “We got her back here, we can figure this out.”

 

Waverly watched, fear still in her eyes as she watched this scene play out before her.

 

Nicole hadn’t looked away from Waverly, trying to take in the new reality before her, trying to grasp that the Waverly sat before her might not be the Waverly that she had fallen in love with, that had fallen in love with her.

 

“We should get her back to the homestead.” Jeremy said after a moment of silence, pulling everyone from the depth of their thoughts.

 

“We should.” Doc said in agreement, taking a step back from Wynonna who wiped the stray tears from her face, the tears that Nicole pretended not to see.

 

“Waverly, we’re going to take you home.” Doc said as he looked back over to Waverly, taking a few steps towards her as he spoke. Once Waverly realised he was heading towards her, she tried to stand, to run, but her legs gave out before she even stood, her body hitting the ground instantly and Doc froze.

 

“She doesn’t know us Doc, she doesn’t know that we are her home.” Wynonna said, placing her hands on Doc’s shoulders, making the older man take a step back. “Haught?” Wynonna looked over at the redhead, only now noticing the silence on Nicole’s part. “Nicole?”

 

Nicole had barely heard Wynonna, but the use of her first name from brunette caught her attention, her eyes looking away from Waverly for the first time since they saw her and across to where Wynonna was stood.

 

“I need you to talk to her. I need you to tell her that she needs to come home.” Wynonna’s voice was heavy, her words loaded with a meaning Nicole didn’t want to think about. Nicole wanted to say something, she wanted to ask Wynonna what made her think that Waverly, or whoever the woman before them was, would listen to her over the rest of them. She wanted to know why Wynonna wouldn’t try talk to her, why it had to be Nicole, why she was being put out on the line and not Jeremy or Wynonna. Why she had to be the one to face Waverly’s rejection. But Nicole didn’t say anything, she simply looked across at Waverly, at the woman shivering on the floor of these woods, her feet bare and her body covered by a thin white dress and she took a step forward. Nicole hoped that maybe she could fix this, that her words, her voice would maybe fix this, spark Waverly’s memories, if this even was her Waverly, then maybe she could fix this.

 

So Nicole took another step forward, letting go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding when Waverly didn’t try move away. The brunette simply watched her with caution as Nicole got as close as she dared, crouching down a foot or two away from Waverly.

 

For a moment, Nicole was at a loss for words, the proximity of Waverly floods her senses. Nicole thought about reaching out with her hand to touch Waverly, to feel her heartbeat to prove this wasn’t just another dream, or maybe a nightmare, she wasn’t sure which yet.

 

“Hi.” Nicole whispered, instantly regretting it, as if ‘hi’ was the right way to approach this. Trying to tell the love of your life who has no idea who you are, or where they are, that they need to come with a group of strangers. How was Nicole supposed to tell Waverly that she needed to come home, to a home she’d forgotten because they need to try and figure out why she’s has no idea who her family are. But Waverly smiled once a simple word had slipped from Nicole’s mouth. It was small and only for a second, but Nicole saw it, and her heart fluttered in her chest.

 

Maybe her Waverly was still in there somewhere.

 

“I don’t know what you remember and what you don’t, but we are…” Nicole began, words failing her for a moment, “We all care about you so much, and when you went into the garden, we spent every single day looking for you, and now that you’re back, we’re going to look after you and make sure that you’re safe.” At the mention of the garden, Waverly’s body had flinched and Nicole wanted nothing more but to hold her and tell her that it was okay now, that she would make sure that Waverly never went back there, but she didn’t, she couldn’t. “I know you don’t remember us right now, and I know you have no reason to trust us, but I promise you that we just want to help you and figure all of this out, but we can’t do that if you stay here.” Nicole could feel the tears on her face, she could hear the waver in her voice and the way her legs shook beneath her, but she felt nothing.

 

Slowly but surely, Waverly nodded, looking behind Nicole at Wynonna, Doc and Jeremy with desperate eyes as she tried to place faces she thought she had never seen before.

 

“Okay, I’m going to get them to come over to help you up, is that okay?” Nicole asked, ignoring the way her heart was hammering in her chest as Waverly looked at her. Waverly nodded in response again, Nicole turning to tell the others to come over.

 

Doc and Wynonna helped Waverly stand, Doc taking most of the younger Earp’s weight as they started the walk back to the jeep.

 

“Nicole?” Jeremy questioned as Nicole didn’t move with them, her body frozen as her mind tried to piece together what was happening.

 

“Yeah, coming.” Nicole said as she cleared her throat.

 

* * *

 

 

_Day one_

 

_“What do you mean she’s gone?” Nicole asked, her voice laced with an anger she’d thought she’d lost._

 

_“Haught I-” Wynonna began, but Nicole cut her off._

 

_“You’re telling me that after you knocked me out to go and try save the world, you let them take Waverly.” Nicole was still lightheaded, whatever Wynonna had used to knock her out was still running through her system, but Nicole ignored it, standing tall as best she could._

 

_“I didn’t let th-” Wynonna tried once more, Nicole still not letting the older Earp speak._

 

_“Don’t make up any excuses for this. I should have been there Wynonna, I could have helped, I could have saved her but you left me out, again.”_

 

_“Nicole-”_

 

_“I said don’t. I don’t want your bullshit Earp, I don’t want your speech about how I’m part of the family when every opportunity that comes for you to be the hero, I’m left on the side-lines, or knocked out in the middle of Purgatory apparently when you’re out there risking your lives and losing the only people left on this goddamn earth that I care about, and I’m here. I’m here and she’s not, is that what you’re telling me? That you left me here and let her go? That you didn’t tell me anything, you didn’t let me fight with you, or even say goodbye, you just what? Thought it was better this way? Thought you were doing me a favor? Because I should have been there Wynonna, it should have been me, not her, and you know that.” The tears were streaming down Nicole’s face at this point, her words cracking as her voice grew hoarse. Wynonna stood before her, her mouth hanging slightly open, her cheeks stained with tears that she had now run out of._

 

_‘I’m so sorry.” Wynonna said, her voice barely above a whisper, the room lapsing into a silence._

 

_“Sorry isn’t going to fix this one Wynonna.” Nicole said, shaking her head as she tried to let reality sink in, “Nothing is going to fix this one.”_

 

* * *

 

The ride to the homestead was silent, no one knowing what to say, how to even begin.

 

Once back, Doc carried Waverly inside, taking her to her room, a room filled with memories that the brunette no longer had.

 

“Should I to go back to the office, try see if I can figure out why...” Jeremy began, unsure how to finish his sentence, not that Wynonna nor Nicole heard him, both of them in a spiral of their own thoughts.

 

Jeremy didn’t say anything else, he just stood in the doorway, waiting for something to change, for something he could do, something he could change to fix this.

 

“What are we supposed to do?” Wynonna asked, turning to look at Nicole. The redhead took in the older Earp, her bloodshot eyes, the tear stains on her cheeks, the bags under her eyes, she looked exhausted, beaten, broken.

 

“I don’t know.” Nicole replied with the only words she had in her head, because she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know why Waverly had no idea who they were, where she was. Nicole didn’t know what to do, how to fix this. Nicole had a thousand questions running through her head, and no answers to any of them.

 

The two women stood for what could have been hours, but in the reality that was suffocating them was only a few minutes, Doc coking down the stairs without Waverly, both Wynonna and Nicole springing to life. Before either woman could ask Doc where their angel was, he spoke.

 

“She’s in her bed, she needs to sleep.” Doc said, Wynonna and Nicole both closing their mouths and nodding. Waverly needed to sleep, she needed just as much time as the rest of them did, if not more.

 

“We need a new game plan.” Jeremy said as he cleared his voice, Nicole noting his presence in the room.

 

“What plan? Where do we even begin, we don’t even know if that’s our Waverly-” Wynonna started, but Nicole spoke up.

 

“It’s her.” Nicole said firmly, the room falling into a silence as her words surrounded them. No one questioned Nicole’s statement, but they didn’t need to, because Nicole knew that it was her Waverly lying upstairs, it was her Waverly they had saved. Her Waverly just didn’t know that that’s who she was anymore.

 

“In which case, how are we going to get her memories back, we don’t even know what happened to her, and I doubt she’s about to tell a bunch of strangers about her time in the garden of Eden.” Wynonna said, the anger that the group had become far too familiar with was creeping into her voice as she spoke, Jeremy took a step back.

 

“She needs time Wynonna.” Doc said carefully, Wynonna instantly shooting him a death glare, Doc bowing his head to avoid her eyes.

 

“He’s right Wynonna.” Nicole said, knowing that if anyone had a chance of getting through to Wynonna, it was her. With Waverly gone, Wynonna had lost her way on more than one occasion, and Nicole had always been there to put her back on track. The jokes that were once in place between Nicole and Wynonna, the back and forth joking hatred and nicknames, they had slowly disappeared over the months, replaced with a bond that even Nicole wasn’t sure how to describe.  

 

“Imagine how hard this is for her,” Doc continued, Wynonna’s body relaxing as she tried to let the anger go, “she needs to settle, she needs to rest. We need to see if her memories come back on their own.”

 

“I can start my research on what could have happened up there, if I can take the cloth she was wearing and I’ll run some tests, and anything she says about the garden, if you tell me I will do my best to figure this out.” Jeremy said, Wynonna giving him a grateful nod.

 

“I’ll go grab that dress.” Wynonna said, heading towards the stairs.

 

“I’ll go grab some whiskey, I think we all are in need of some.” Doc said as he headed to the kitchen.

 

Nicole didn’t move, she didn’t notice that Jeremy was standing beside her until she felt his hand on her shoulder.

 

“Are you okay?” Jeremy asked, his question innocent, his voice filled with concern. Nicole’s initial reaction was to laugh, because of course she had never been further from okay than she had right now, but Nicole wasn’t sure she even knew how to laugh anymore. So Nicole repeated the only words she had.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Before Jeremy had time to question her anymore, Wynonna came back down the stairs, the dress that Waverly had been wearing in a plastic bag.

 

“She really did not want to get out of that.” Wynonna said with a sigh as she handed over the bag.

 

“I’ll go get started.” Jeremy said as Wynonna walked over to join Doc in the kitchen.

 

“Jeremy,” Nicole said quickly, turning to see Jeremy as he reached the door, “go get some sleep, we can start looking for answers tomorrow.”

 

Jeremy didn’t say anything in response, but he smiled and Nicole noted that she hadn’t seen that smile in months.

 

Nicole watched as the homestead door clicked shut before she went to join Doc and Wynonna in the kitchen.

 

“Would you like a drink Miss Haught?” Doc asked as she approached them, Nicole shaking her head in response. She was there to make sure that Wynonna didn’t try to drown her sorrows, because Waverly needed her, and Nicole was going to make sure that Wynonna was there for her and not sat with her head over the toilet.

 

Doc and Wynonna drank in silence, the three of them not knowing what to say, all of them knowing that words couldn’t fix this.

 

The three of them wrapped themselves in their own thoughts as they hoped to wake from the nightmare settling around them. They were all so deep in thought that they didn’t see the figure stood in the doorway, until she cleared her throat and all three heads whipped around to see her.

 

“I couldn’t sleep.” Waverly says, her voice hoarse, but hers. The sound of her voice sent an emotion through Nicole that the redhead couldn’t quiet place, but it consumed her.

 

“Thank the lord she speaks.” Wynonna said through an exhale, “Wait, is it too soon for God jokes?”

 

“Far too soon.” Doc said quietly as he patted Wynonna on the back. “Would you like to come sit down with us Waverly?” Doc asked, his voice louder so that Waverly could hear him, the brunette nodding in response.

 

The four of them moved to the kitchen table, taking a seat and waiting for someone to say something. Nicole, Doc and Wynonna didn’t know what to say to Waverly, to the stranger at their table, not wanting to push or scare her. Waverly had nothing to say, not sure what was happening.

 

“Do you have any questions you want to ask us?” Doc asked after a painfully long silence, Wynonna exhaling.

 

“Who are you?” Waverly asked, clearing her throat before rephrasing her question slightly, “How do I know you all?”

 

Nicole could see Wynonna’s fist clench under the table, her body stiffening.

 

“This is Wynonna,” Doc said with a gesture towards the older Earp, taking over, knowing neither Nicole or Wynonna could do this. “She is your sister and your best friend. I’m John Henry Holiday, but everyone calls me Doc, I’m your friend and your nieces father. And this, this is Nicole.” Doc stopped, unsure what to say, not wanting to freak Waverly out any more than she already was.

 

Waverly looked across to Nicole, not questioning why Doc didn’t explain how she knew the redhead, her head tilting to the side slightly, as if she was trying to place Nicole.

 

“Why don’t I know you?” Waverly asked, her eyes darting back to Doc who took a deep breath in response to her question, Wynonna standing up, her chair squeaking against the floor as she pushed it back with more force than necessary.

 

“We’re not sure, we are going to try very hard to figure that out though.” Doc said, doing his best to ignore Wynonna as she slammed the front door of the homestead.

 

“I’m going to go check on her.” Nicole said, leaving the kitchen to go make sure Wynonna didn’t have the keys to the truck with her, because there was no way in hell Nicole was letting Wynonna run, not again.

 

* * *

 

_Day sixty-seven_

 

_“Wynonna! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Nicole yelled after the older Earp as she slammed the door of her truck, turning the key in the ignition and ignoring the redhead’s voice._

 

_Nicole didn’t stop, she didn’t let Wynonna drive away, because Nicole knew that she might not come back, and she couldn’t lose Wynonna, not as well._

 

_“Wynonna Earp, get out of this truck right now.” Nicole yelled, pulling on the door that Wynonna had locked as she pulled on her seatbelt._

 

_“Don’t fucking do this.” Nicole yelled as she slammed her hand against the window, Wynonna backing the truck up._

 

_It had been over two months since they had lost Waverly, a month since the two of them had started talking, and Wynonna had hit her breaking point. She couldn’t handle another failed attempt at finding Waverly, she couldn’t deal with another passing thought that there was no Waverly left to save, she couldn’t do this. So Wynonna was doing what she did best. She was going to run, run far away from Purgatory, find somewhere new, a place where every single thing in sight didn't reminded her of her baby sister, of her angel._

 

_Wynonna shifted the truck into drive, her foot hovering over the gas pedal when Nicole took a step-in front of her, her hands on the front of the truck._

 

_“Wynonna, you’re not leaving.” Nicole yelled, Wynonna just hearing her over the purr of the engine. “You don’t get to run away, this isn’t going anywhere! Leaving won’t make her come back, it won’t make falling asleep any easier, it won’t fix shit Wynonna.”_

 

_Wynonna revved the engine, hoping Nicole would move, hoping Nicole would just give in and let her leave, but Nicole stood still, tears streaming from her face as she yelled at the brunette._

_“Don’t you think I wanted to run? Does it ever cross your mind that I’m still here picking you up every single time you fall? I don’t want to be here Wynonna, I don’t want to stay in this hell for another second, but I’m here, I’m here and I stay. I’m here for you, for her, for Doc and Jeremy. She wouldn’t run Wynonna, she’d stay. You don’t get to do this, you don’t get to run away, not this time.”_

_Wynonna cut the engine._

 

_Nicole let her hands off the bonnet off the truck._

 

_The two waited for a moment before moving._

 

_Wynonna opened the door of the truck, getting out as Nicole walked around to her. Wynonna was expecting to be shoved, screamed at, but Nicole just pulled her in, embracing her._

 

_“You can’t leave Wynonna, I need you.” Nicole whispered, her tears falling onto Wynonna’s neck, “She needs you.”_

 

* * *

 

Nicole closed the front door behind her, feeling the tense flood from her body when she saw the truck still parked outside.

 

“You didn’t think I was actually going to run, did you?” Wynonna said with a chuckle, Nicole turning to see her best friend slumped against the front wall of the homestead, her knees to her chest.

 

“Can you blame me for thinking it?” Nicole said as she sat down next to Wynonna.

 

“Guess not.” Wynonna said, the two of them simply staring out into the darkness in front of them. “What do we do if we can’t get her memory back?”

 

Nicole let the question settle between them for a moment as she tried to think how to answer. Nicole couldn’t even begin to imagine what her life would be if Waverly never remembered who she was, if Waverly fell in love with someone else. But before Nicole could spiral, she took a deep breath and looked across at Wynonna. The eldest Earp needed her, just as much as Nicole needed Wynonna.

 

“Then we make sure she knows that we’re here for her and that we are her family no matter what.” Nicole said, earning a small smile from Wynonna.

 

“What if she doesn’t want us to be her family.” Wynonna asked, her voice small, the smile quickly dropping from her face. “What if she wants nothing to do with us, the curse, her last name. She doesn’t know any of the crazy anymore, what if she doesn’t want us?”

 

“She’s an Earp at heart Wynonna, you know that. Memory’s or not, she’s still Waverly Earp, and nothing is going to change that.” Nicole said with more confidence than she had. She hoped she was right, she prayed that the women sat in the homestead was the Waverly Earp she had fallen in love with, the Waverly that loved Wynonna not despite but because of her flaws, who sacrificed herself for the people she loved.

 

“I really hope you’re right Haught.” Wynonna said softly, taking a second before she stood, holding her hand out for Nicole and pulling the redhead to her feet. “I don’t know how to act with her.” Wynonna said, looking back at the door of the homestead, as if she was debating going back in but unsure if it was wise. The last thing Wynonna wanted to do was make this harder for Waverly, because as hard as it was for all of them to see Waverly and the younger Earp not know them, Wynonna couldn’t imagine what was running through Waverly’s head.

 

“Just be gentle, answer anything she asks and let her know you’re there for her, and that you’re not going anywhere.” Nicole said, Wynonna nodding her head as she redhead spoke.

 

“Have I ever told you that you’re a walking tumblr quote?” Wynonna said as she took a step past Nicole and back into the homestead.

 

“Many many times.” Nicole sighed as she followed Wynonna inside.

 

Once back inside, Nicole saw Doc sat alone at the kitchen table, his head in his hands.

 

“Where is she?” Wynonna asked, trying to sound calm but Nicole didn’t miss the slight panic in her voice.

 

“She went back to bed.” Doc said, not looking up.

 

“Right.” Wynonna said, taking a swig of whiskey before continuing, “Guess we should try get some sleep too, got a lot of shit to figure out tomorrow.”

 

Doc and Nicole didn’t say anything, both agreeing in silence, Doc standing and kissing Wynonna’s head, whispering something Nicole didn’t quiet catch before pulling back.

 

“I’ll see you two in the morning.” Doc said, tipping his hat towards them both before letting himself out.

 

“You staying here tonight?” Wynonna asked, already knowing the answer. Nicole had basically moved in during the second month of Waverly’s disappearance, helping Wynonna out of the pit of self-hatred she had fallen into. She spent a good month on the couch, Wynonna had told her to sleep in Waverly’s bed, the redhead refusing for months, making the couch her second home. She couldn’t deal with the thought of sleeping in Waverly’s bed without her, but as the days passed Nicole slowly gave in, Waverly’s room and everything in it becoming all she had to remember the brunette by.

 

“Yeah, I’ll take the couch. I need to borrow some clothes though, mine are in her room.” Nicole said, following Wynonna up the stairs to get some spare clothes off the eldest Earp sister, stopping outside of Waverly’s room. Nicole wanted nothing more than to look through the open crack in the door, to make sure Waverly was there, that she was okay, that all of this wasn’t some sick and twisted nightmare.

 

“Do you want to check on her while I grab you some clothes?” Wynonna asked quietly, as if she had read Nicole’s mind. Nicole just nodded in response, not looking away from the door as she heard Wynonna’s footsteps get further away.

 

Nicole pushed Waverly’s door open slowly, taking half a step inside, seeing Waverly’s figure under the blankets wrapped around her. The brunette’s chest rising and falling, Nicole watching, her heart hammering in her chest. Out of all the ways that she could have got Waverly back, this barely crossed her mind. The thought of Waverly not knowing who she was, not knowing that the last exchange between them had hinted at a life together, it broke Nicole. But here she was, stood in the doorway of Waverly’s room, watching the brunette who had no idea who she was sleep, and Nicole felt content knowing that Waverly was safe. The pain of Waverly not knowing who she was would never subside, a constant numbness in the back of her mind, but the fact that Waverly was back, that she was alive, safe, made everything else okay.

 

“Here you go Haught.” Wynonna whispered, brining the sheriff from her thoughts back to reality.

 

“Thanks.” Nicole said as she took a step back into the hallway, pulling Waverly’s door shut as she did so.

 

“I’ll see you in the morning.” Wynonna said, “Try get some sleep.”

 

“You too.” Nicole said before heading downstairs, sitting on the couch and taking a minute to try and process the events of the last few hours.

 

Nicole let her mind drift back over the last one hundred and fifty-five days, of every night holding Wynonna’s hair back as she threw up the contents of her stomach and of everyday making sure everyone was okay. She thought back to the nights she couldn’t sleep because the nightmares got too much and how Wynonna held her as she cried. She thought about how Nedley had been there, making sure she didn’t work too hard, or too much, grounding her when she thought she was stronger than she was. How Doc was there to bring her back from the edge of insanity when she needed him and how Jeremy never gave up hope.

 

Without them, Nicole wouldn’t have been able to make it through those days, she wouldn’t have known what to do. But after everything they’d been through, they could do this. Whether Waverly got her memories back or not, they could make this work, because all that mattered was that they got her back. Nicole just hoped that one day, Waverly would maybe see her the way she once did, and with that on her mind, Nicole let her eyes fall shut and her body drift into sleep.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all feedback and comments are appreciated so much!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed that and I'll be back next Tuesday with another chapter .
> 
> If you have any questions or head cannons/fic ideas or you wanna say hi feel free to head over to twitter - @wavverlyearp (also have a curious cat under the same username if you wanna be anonymous)
> 
> <3


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